Phoenix Reborn
by blackdirt
Summary: Life after the war may seem to be peaceful and free from corruption, but there are still secrets hidden away from the people. And this time, Katniss and Peeta's daughter, Primrose, will be the girl on fire.
1. Chapter 1

A blood-curling scream roused me from my sleep. My eyes instantly bolted open, and in the darkness they searched frantically for the source. It's coming from my parents' room, and thinking that they were in trouble, I instantly got out of bed and ran down the hallway to their room.

When I slammed opened the door, I saw Father holding Mother in his arms and rocking her in his arms. She was trembling, and when Father looked up at me, he gave me a comforting smile, telling me that everything was alright. Slowly, I backed away from the room and closed the door gently. I was stunned, because I saw the fear in my mother's eyes, and it was not any ordinary fear, but more intense, more tortured. This was the first time I've ever seen her this way. Mother is strong, always has been that way since I was born. She taught me how to hunt, how to shoot with a bow and arrow and set traps in the woods. She brought me fishing by the lake sometimes, telling me that it was my grandfather who had brought her there, and taught her the very same skills she had passed on to me.

Father was softer. More rounded at the edges and also very kind. He paints beautifully and I have a portrait he drew of me hung up on my bedroom wall. But I knew no matter how strong Mother portrays herself to be, Father was still her constant pillar of support and the only person she depends on. Each time if Gaius or I had done something wrong, she will always seek Father's eyes for consent before exacting our punishment. He is the man who is fiercely protective of the people he loves despite his mild demeanor. He makes the best bread and birthday cakes that warm our stomachs and our hearts.

Tonight everything I knew about my parents had changed. Something had scared my mother. And the hard look that overtook Father's eyes did not escape my notice. For a moment he was no longer the kind father I knew, but a man who had seen all darkness and evils of the world. As I thought of this, my body gave an uncontrollable shiver. I gathered my blanket closer to myself and remembered what they taught us in school. About the Hunger Games that stopped taking place two decades ago. The victors from District 12, where we live. Haymitch, our neighbour. Mother. And Father. The outline of the games were described to us – 24 tributes from all 12 districts killing each other in the arena until only one victor is left standing. When I first heard of that I thought instantly that my parents were murderers. Then I felt ashamed of myself. They had no choice, and to survive, they had to kill.

It was a silent rule that Gaius and I were not to ask my parents to recount their experiences. All records of the Hunger Games had been destroyed. The new government had decided to do that, and start afresh. In school, sometimes people looked at me with sad eyes. They tell me that my mother was impressive as Mockingjay, but then she went mad and killed President Coin. I shoved the girl who told me that once and she started crying. The teacher sent for my mother and told her about my conduct. I was ready for a scolding, but instead when we arrived home, my mother stroked my hair and told me, "Let's not be bothered by what others think of me. As long as you know that I'm not mad, who cares about the rest?"

I looked at her, and she had a sad smile on her face.

"I hate them Mother! I hate the way they speak about you," I say passionately.

"Prim, you've inherited my rashness, but unlike me, you're pure. At 16 I was forced to be an adult. I didn't have time to act like a girl. But now you do, and I don't want this to affect your life or your childhood. Promise me?" She watched me expectantly.

I gave her a grunt of agreement, because I did not trust my own words to keep that promise. At 16, I wanted adventure. Sometimes I'm envious of my mother because her life appeared to be so much more exciting than mine. It was not a life to be wished for, but nonetheless I craved some action in my mundane teenage life. I was born with this innate need for movement. I could never sit still for too long. And when I was old enough to join my mother in her hunt, I finally found something to satisfy my needs. I've inherited her love and skills for hunting, and it was a part of me I was very proud of because it felt like it was a precious gift from Mother.

The next morning, everyone at the breakfast table was quiet except for Gaius. He started complaining to Father about the older kids in school being able to go on a field trip to Capitol and that he wanted to visit the city as well.

"Oh! I forgot I was supposed to get your consent for that," I told Father sheepishly.

Gaius groaned loudly and exclaimed, "Not her too!"

After the incident last night, I suddenly wanted to find out more about the history of the Hunger Games and of my parents. I need to get to Capitol.

"Please, Father?" I asked pleadingly. "Mother?"

She avoided my gaze instantly but replied, "No."

"Why?"

"It's not a nice place…"

"I wouldn't know until I see it!" I answered defiantly.

"No, Primrose Mellark." Mother was firm now, and she looked at me with hard eyes. Like the eyes Father had last night.

Father placed a hand on Mother's. "Let her go, sweetheart."

"Peeta, you should know how horrible that place is better than I do!"

I see Father's knuckles turning white as his grip on Mother's hand became tighter.

"But those were our memories, Katniss. Things are different now. The Capitol has changed. We're now under a government we've elected. It's been more than 20 years, Katniss."

"Mother," I said softly, "Teachers will be there. I'll be safe. It's only for a day."

She pondered me with her gray eyes before closing them and saying, "Alright then, as you wish." The lines around her eyes seemed deeper, and her braid hung over her shoulders limply. She looked older than usual, and I felt guilty for forcing her to agree. Father put his arm around her, and she leaned into his warmth. I smiled a bit at that. My parents were always affectionate to each other, and their love emanated through their actions.

Gaius and I left the house for school and bade our parents goodbye. The full bloom of the primroses by our house caught my eye and it reminded me of the time Father told me the origins of my name.

"You were named after your aunt, Primrose Everdeen." There was a faraway look on his face as he continued, "She was a pretty little girl, and she had always wanted to be a doctor."

"What happened to her?" I had asked, and Father answered, "During the rebellion, she was headed to President Snow's mansion to offer help to the injured children held there. President Coin then dropped bombs over the area and your aunt was killed. She died for a noble cause, Prim."

Mother, who had been quietly beside Father then, had a painful smile etched on her lips. But behind her eyes I could see the pride she felt for her sister, and suddenly overwhelmed with emotions, I grabbed her hands and told her, "I'll turn out to be the best daughter you'll ever have."

Mother looked at me for a moment, stunned by my outburst, but then she enveloped me in an embrace and whispered into my ear, "I'm so glad that you came into my life."

Gaius nudged me and I was awoken from my reverie. He had his hands in his pockets as he reminded me that when I arrived at Capitol, I was to search for a gift for him. Amused, I ruffled his blond hair violently.

"Hey! Stop it! I'm not a child anymore."

I watched his defiant face coupled with his glaring gray eyes and laughed. His cheeks were red with exertion, and the 13 year old boy trying to act like an adult amused me greatly. To me, he will always be the baby brother whom I had played with since we were small. The brother I've watched being breastfed by Mother, and whom I had even changed diapers for. The little brother with his head of unruly blond curls, stubborn, strong nose and full lips, will certainly attract many girls after he has lost some baby fat in his cheeks. Wanting to tease him even further, I called out, "Catch me if you can!" and ran towards the direction of the school. I ran on and passed by some kids I know from school, waving to them while I was still being pursued by Gaius behind. I ran past Delly Cartwright and her daughter, Molly, and Delly called out to me in a laughing voice, "Be careful will you!"

I turned back to her and shouted, "I will!" before I saw her expression change into alarm and I ran smack into a tall pillar which was surprisingly warm. It knocked the breath out of me, and I fell onto the ground. My bottom ached from the impact and I rubbed it profusely as I struggled to stand up. A hand reached out to me and entered my vision. "That must've hurt," a deep voice above me said.

Slowly, I looked up and saw Calum Winsor looking right at me. I could feel a blush creep through my face instantly. He was famous for being the best looking young man in District 12. But he was also the most unapproachable of them all. He treats everyone with courtesy, but never gets too close with people. In school he is always alone, even though he smiles and engages in small talk with everyone. He also has the softest brown hair and the greenest eyes I've ever seen. Now at closer proximity with him, I noticed that there were golden flecks in his irises. Sudddenly, I realised that I still had one hand on my bum. Blushing all the way to my ears now, I hastily shot out my hand and accepted his offer to help. His hands were large, and very warm. They were strong too, as he used one hand to pull me up. As I was about to regain my balance, someone shoved me from behind and I ended up embracing Calum.

"Gotcha!" Gaius' triumphant voice came from behind me.

Catching a whiff of Calum's wonderful scent before taking a few hurried steps back, I shot Gaius a murderous glare.

"Thank you... And I'm so sorry," I told Calum.

A flicker of amusement crossed his face as he asked, "So you guys were chasing each other?"

"Yes and I caught her!" Gaius answered very enthusiastically.

I was feeling so embarrassed that the entire time I was staring at the ground. He must be thinking that I'm really childish, to engage in such games with my brother. Calum laughed upon hearing my brother's reply. A deep laughter that warmed me to my core.

"Sounds fun," he said, and as he turned around towards school, he continued, "Shall we head to school together now, Primrose Mellark?"

He knows my name, I thought.

And that was the only thing on my mind on that entire school day.


	2. Chapter 2

Today we head to Capitol.

The train station was a bustling of activity as teachers struggled to get excited students into line while we waited to board the train. I looked into the distance and into the direction we were headed, and only saw mountains and trees. It was not uncommon for people to travel now, ever since we had entered democracy. As the poverty levels and travel bans were lifted, people were encouraged to travel.

"Capitol is nothing much, really. It's a very sad place." Gwen, my best friend remarked beside me. Her family is made up of a generation of tailors and majority of the population in District 12 bought our clothes from them. They are also avid travelers and Gwen has already been to Capitol multiple times. She had told me a long time ago, that the people of Capitol never smiled, and they dressed in the most gloomy colours. Sometimes there were beggars in the streets and often people ignored them. Our history books taught us that before the war, the people of Capitol engaged in wastage and a life of superficiality and vanity that should be abhorred. They were enjoying their glamorous lives while the people of the districts were suffering from poverty and starvation. And my mother, the Mockingjay, was the source of inspiration for all rebels, who eventually won the war.

"They claim that we're all being treated as equals now," Gwen said quietly, "But the hatred for Capitol is always there."

I watched her distant dark eyes and realised that this was what I liked about Gwen. She's highly intelligent and extremely intuitive. She always knows when I'm feeling down, and is also fiercely loyal to her friends. Her short dark brown hair that frames her heart-shaped face, large eyes and small nose gives her a look of delicateness and she may very well be the prettiest girl in our district. The teachers hurried us up the train, and Gwen and I headed to our allocated compartment. As I settled into my seat, someone else entered our compartment. I could recognize that overwhelming presence anywhere. Calum.

"Hello, Primrose Mellark," he said simply, and gave Gwen an inquiring cock of his head.

"I'm Gwen." She gave him a full smile, and I thought, even the cool, level-headed Gwen is not immune to his charms.

"Hi Gwen," he said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was an odd number in my class and I'll have to join both of you." He slid into the seat beside me, and I almost jumped. Gwen raised an eyebrow at my reaction and I knew I had a lot of explaining to do later.

The rest of the train ride was quiet. I looked out of the window most of the time, watching other districts go by, and wondered how life went on there. I envied Gwen for being able to travel, while my parents had always preferred to stay in District 12 and at home.

It was so awkward in the compartment. There was tension in the air and from the corner of my eye I could feel Gwen's unwavering gaze on me, while Calum was simply quietly staring into space.

"So Calum, have you been to Capitol before?" Gwen suddenly asked, cutting through the thick silence.

With a slightly stunned look on his face, he replied, "Never."

His monosyllabic answer did not provide much material for us to continue the conversation, and only emphasized on the air of distance he always had around him.

When we finally arrived at Capitol, he said goodbye to us and went on to join his class.

"You like him." Gwen said, and it wasn't a question, but a statement. Before I could even answer, she continued saying, "he seems perfectly boring, though."

I felt slightly offended by her words, but I must admit that he's not much of a conversationalist. Trying to avoid Gwen's accusing gaze, I looked around the train station of Capitol and realised that Gwen was right. It was a gloomy place where all buildings were either white or gray, causing me to feel out of place in my bright yellow dress. The people also dressed in dark or muted colours such as black and brown. After the war, the new government seemed to have really been determined to bring an extreme change to the once colourful Capitol. This blandness was a stark reminder to the people of Capitol that they no longer had the luxury to engage in wastage, and that they are now under the power of a new government. It deserved the reputation as the capital of Panem, though. There were more buildings around in a clustered fashion, and many people walked along the roads as they carried out their daily activities. There were small roadside stalls by the train station that catered souvenirs for tourists from other districts. But the people all had similar expressions. They were often downcast and their eyes were to the floor.

We were herded towards our first stop, which was the current government building, previously President Snow's mansion. It was here where my aunt had perished, at this magnificent building which seemed to bear no signs of a war taking place here except for a small plaque installed at the entrance that read, "_In Memory of the Lives Lost for the Freedom of the People_".

"This is now the government administration building and was previously the house of President Snow, who had died during the war in a public execution initially intended for the Mockingjay to carry out…" Our history teacher, Mrs Fisher's voice trailed away as I felt many pairs of eyes on me. I continued looking at her unblinkingly and she looked away. "Eventually he choked on his own blood while President Coin was killed by the Mockingjay. Now, if you notice the architecture of this building…"

I tuned her out from this moment onwards, and tried to imagine my mother standing here twenty years ago, watching her sister die and also being in front of thousands of people as she killed the president. What could be going through her mind then? It was difficult to reconcile the quiet woman I've always known to one who had in fact led a rebellion.

"Are you okay?" Gwen asked me.

I smiled in response, but I was so caught up with my thoughts that I had no words to reply her. We boarded a bus and headed off to our next stop, the arena where the Hunger Games were held. As we approached the arena, I could see the large expanse of space it used to occupy before it was destroyed and made into a memorial. It had been replaced with marble slabs and transformed into a square, and 12 marble towers rose in the centre of the square and was positioned in a circular formation. Each tower represented each district, and the names of the tributes who had died during the Hunger Games had been carved at the base of the towers.

Calum's class had already arrived, and when our eyes met he gave me a soft smile of acknowledgement. Our classes took a walk around the circle of towers as each of us put out a hand to feel the cool marble against our palms and also close our eyes in prayer for the lives lost. This was it. This was the place which had brought my father and mother together and also the place that stripped the dignity of the tributes and robbed them of their sense of humanity. Father had told me once, in private, that before entering the arena he wanted to retain some part of himself and not lose himself in the cruel game that Capitol had created. He vowed to himself not to turn into the savage beast people expected them to become, and give the audience that satisfaction. He wanted to die as himself. That was the most he would reveal to me about his experience of the games, and as for mother, she had never said a word. "Your mother has suffered a lot," was what Father simply said when I asked about her.

After that we were left to roam around the area ourselves to do some souvenir shopping. Gwen and I went to some stalls by the streets, and I bought a mini jabberjay for Gaius which is actually a voice recorder. As Gwen was still choosing gifts for her large family, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around. Calum looked down at me as he said, "Want to explore?"

Mutely, without thinking, I nodded my head. It wasn't until a distance away before I realised that I should've told Gwen that I was leaving her for a moment. But Calum was already a good distance away from me and I decided to follow him instead.

"This place is depressing, isn't it?" He asked me as we maneuvered our way through the busy square where tourists haggled for prices of the souvenirs.

"I guess the people of Capitol haven't fully recovered from the war yet," I said.

Without warning, a glint appeared in his green eyes and he grabbed my hand. "Come on," he said and pulled me away from the square and to a quieter district where the dull buildings stood. He led me into an alley and I didn't notice where we were heading because I was too busy staring at his large hand around my wrist.

"Look, Prim. I can call you Prim, right?" I looked up at his face and noticed that he was nervous. "I've… always been intrigued by you."

The meaning of his words took some time to sink in and his closeness took my breath away. I couldn't think of anything to say because the thoughts in my mind refused to settle. Is he about to confess something? Or does he simply mean friendship? Or maybe he's intrigued because I'm the Mockingjay's daughter. A lot of people are always curious about me. I took a look at our surroundings. It was a narrow alley and I didn't know where we were. What was he planning on doing? My heart started to palpitate as I thought of the many possibilities. Then he started to lean in and instinctively I closed my eyes.

What I had anticipated did not happen, but instead I was yanked backwards by hands that grabbed onto both of my arms, and opening my eyes, I saw that two masked men were holding Calum back. Looking to my sides I realised that I was as well. Panic and fear lodged the scream in my throat. I opened my mouth but was unable to make any sound, and before I could, one of the men held a cloth over my mouth. I took in a scent of chemicals, and could feel my vision getting blurry.

The abrupt release of their grips on me startled my eyes open. A figure appeared from behind me and deftly delivered two stabs from the knife on his hand for both men holding onto Calum before they could even react. He stood panting slightly behind Calum, and I noticed that he was slightly taller than Calum, with messy dark hair and eyes of such dark blue that they appear to be almost violet. His face had streaks of dirt and it was hard to decipher his remaining features. All of sudden, Calum sprang towards me, grabbed my arm and ran. I stumbled a little but his strong grip continued to pull me along. I took a look back, and our saviour was watching us. His mouth was opened and I faintly heard him saying something but we were already too far to hear it clearly.

Panting heavily, we finally reached where our buses were parked and the teachers reprimanded us for running off. I wasn't listening to their words at all as I stared at Calum blankly, still disbelieving what just happened in the alley just now. He refused to look in my direction and hung his head low as his teacher gestured him up the bus. I boarded my bus and took my seat beside Gwen. Are you alright? She asked me. What happened? Why are you panting? I couldn't answer her, because the shock had not worn off yet.

I swore that the name the guy had called out just now was _Calum._


End file.
